A Good Day
by Elenhin
Summary: A story about the Duke boys with Cooter in focus. For a friend of mine and purely for a fun, hopefully lots of fun.


Author's Note: Cooter girl pointed out to me she thought there wasn't near enough stories with Cooter as the main focus, and while this is short, you can't get him much more into focus, and I even used my looking glass. ;)

As short as it is, I hope it's a laugh, and lots of Cooter.

Big thanks to Vinsemouse for beta work.

**Warning**: _The warning is placed here for vinsmouse, who wanted a spew warning here, claiming it might be a bad idea to drink while reading the funnier parts. So please keep in mind that drinking any kind of beverage while reading this, might be hazzard'ous to the health of your screen. _

Disclaimer: The Duke Boys are not mine, I don't own the Duke boys, nor the General Lee. I promise that once I'm through with them, there will be nothing broken that a trip to Cooter's garage can't fix….

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_**A Good Day**_

His pa had told him that the best way to start a good day was with a good breakfast, but of course back then his mother had done the cooking. These days a good breakfast meant a soda from the cooler outside and the box of doughnuts the Dukes had left behind as they went home the evening before. It was a good breakfast Cooter decided as he sat down on the hood of the car he was fixing. It might not win any health award, but who cared about that. Life was to be lived, and who could enjoy it when they did nothing but worry about this and that all the time.

The only thing he worried about was the mortgage he had, the one that meant J.D. Hogg was always trying to take over his garage, farm and dogs, every single thing in the world that he called his. Southern men aren't ones to roll over and give up thought, and as he scratched the wild beard growing on his chin, the though never crossed his mind.

The garage was his achievement, greasy, oil stained and a bit shabby just like he was; but the work he performed was state of the art and it was something to make a man proud. To go home every day and know what you had done, well, not everyday. Sometimes there was no point to going back home to the farm after a day's work and Cooter would just stay where he was. It was the way he liked it and it was the way it would always be if he had any say.

Walking over to the doors at the sound of squealing tires he spotted a great big hunk of orange go past the opening to the garage, still early in the day it was never too early for the Duke boys to be in trouble.

The General Lee came and pased so fast Cooter, could only tell for sure that Bo was the one driving, though he would have known that anyway from the way it was driving. Bo was slightly better than Luke, and with a style that appeared more reckless.

Shortly after the General, came the two squad cars currently in use: That was first Rosco with Cletus tight on his rear bumper, and that was one bumper he would have to replace later. So far, he was looking at thirty-five dollars and forty-two cents worth of fixing as soon as Rosco brought the car in. Cletus' car was okay so far, but Cooter had no doubt that would change later in the day.

Returning to his breakfast he left three doughnuts in the box, only starting on the days work when he was finished. There was nothing much to do, just some patch up work on the town drunk's car. Hobie had once more dipped too deep into the shine while behind the wheel of his car, and now the poor thing needed a new radiator as well as some other minor replacements and some dents pounded out. Many times had he considered getting that car to a better home, but so far, it remained faithful in the service of a trusted to be drunk driver.

Two hours later he heard the sound of glass shattering up in the attic as the Duke boys made their way inside. Jumping down from the loft they looked around for anyone following them, Bo setting eyes on the doughnut box and happily grabbing one while Luke headed over to the front door to sneak a look out.

Laughing Cooter informed them that the loft did have a ladder, something that made Luke laugh and grin while Bo offered him the last doughnut.

That was why he had left three, because Bo would grab at least one before informing Luke of any food in the vicinity. It was just the way the Duke boys were. Tossing them the keys to his pickup he watched them take off in a hurry. Them boys rarely stood still long enough for you to really get a hang of what was going on. By the time Cooter knew what they were running from, they were already around the corner, and there was no point telling them that Rosco had gotten confused and headed out the other way, they'd figure it out soon enough on their own.

Daisy called in later, asking him to go get the General when she found the poor thing left all by his lonesome, half buried in a stack of hay, which would explain the strands of hay that was scattered on his floor since the Duke boys visit. Bo had done it once again, apparently he had tried to take a shortcut through the hay, but due to a large boulder in the middle of the stack it hadn't gone too well. So Cooter went there with the tow truck and pulled the car back to his garage where he could start to work on it. It wasn't all that bad, but he'd be sure to let Bo know what he thought about that kind of driving.

Since it was mostly work and not really a lot of parts, but more ingenuity it wouldn't cost the two boys much more than a night at the Boar's Nest. He wasn't trying to get rich off the world, just to have himself a good time after all.

Rosco brought his patrol car in so Cooter threw a tarp over the General before listening to him rant, it wasn't so interesting to hear, but it let him know what kind of mess the Duke boys was in. Rosco was trying to get them for malicious mischief. Apparently when he was driving Bo had wound up splattering mud all over Boss' Hogg's car, and when they tried to apologize to the fat man in the white suit, Bo slipped in the mud and knocked over Luke who in turn knocked over Boss, and the fat little county commissioner wanted them arrested for the crime.

Cooter just laughed, it was no more or no less than he had expected, but it was sure entertainment for the day.

He wasn't sure if his two friends would wind up in the jail living on bread and water or not, but while he found out he was having a ball. Rosco was trying to snoop and had made Cletus dress up in disguise to catch the boys, only he stood out like a sore thumb and made everybody look. Someone had to tell the guy that civilian clothes would not make him blend in when he was hidden in his patrol car, and looking at everyone through a pair of spyglasses.

The boys he was trying to spot had climbed up a house wall and was now making their way past by the rooftops, that was until Luke executed one of his plans and climbed down the drain pipe. While Bo was tossing small pebbles onto the roof of the car to distract Cletus, Luke was loosening the bolts on his wheels.

When Cletus finally did spot them and tried to chase them, the only way the chase took him was to the garage, and with both squad cars there, and the General good to go, things were looking up for the boys.

It was looking up for Cooter too, once the boys sneaked out of the mess by means of Lulu who was mad at Boss Hogg anyway, for some promise or another he had tried to back out of. All that remained to do was to head over to the Boar's Nest, and when Cooter let them have the General he made sure they pointed him to the Boar's Nest. Getting in the backseat he'd have them drive him home when he was ready to go, and it was the end of another good day in Hazzard.

_The End_

_Please leave a review, the Cricket is hungry…._


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